The Big 9 Food Allergens
As of the FASTER Act, which food was added to the U.S. list of major allergens, making it the ninth?
- ASesameCorrect
- BMustard
- CCelery
- DGluten
Why: The FASTER Act of 2021 added sesame as the ninth major food allergen effective January 1, 2023, expanding the original 'Big 8' (milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans) to the 'Big 9.' Mustard and celery are regulated allergens in some other countries (such as the EU) but are not U.S. major allergens. Gluten is a protein in wheat and other grains, not itself one of the nine named allergens.
Cleaning & Sanitizing for Allergens
Why is thorough cleaning, not just sanitizing, essential for removing food allergens from a surface?
- AAllergens are killed by heat during sanitizing
- BCleaning and sanitizing have the same effect on allergens
- CSanitizers chemically destroy allergen proteins on contact
- DSanitizers are designed to reduce pathogens, but only cleaning physically removes the allergen residueCorrect
Why: Sanitizing reduces pathogens to safe levels but does not reliably remove or destroy allergen proteins. Only physical cleaning, washing with detergent and water to lift and wash away the residue, actually removes the allergen from a surface. That is why an allergen-safe workflow is wash, rinse, sanitize, and air dry, with the emphasis on genuinely removing residue, not merely killing microbes.